I bought a carton of Dubia cockroaches (a 20 pack) and wondering... are these often "feared" by spidies and because they are so different from crickets, is there an initiation, introduction or something to get a young-ish spider (course my youngsters are now 7 inches, 6 1/2 inches and 4 inches) to eat one of those and not run in fear?

The A. metallica, the 4 incher, ate one willingly, but not since, and the others seem to run upon introduction? I've seen the way these roaches are presented in many videos, and seen how some take them and some do not. I bought them as Leo (my LD) molted last week. Being a big guy (the 7+incher) I figured he'd be ready for good (big?) food as he hasn't eaten in quite some time. He can always have his crickets... thought I'd give him a treat but he ran scared...???

Spiders can be funny creatures.
I had spiders 14cm and up that run from "barking" crickets. kungfu

I find my spiders don't really eat the B. dubia roaches, from small roach up to Juvenal and mature female roaches but they love the mature male roaches, reason for this the males don't play dead and dig under the substrate and stay there for long periods of time, where as the males are always running around and being active.

I have found B. dubia roaches a month after feeding them to my spiders.

With regards to getting your spider to eat them, The best way is just to leave the roaches in the enclosure, eventually the spiders will find them and eat them.

Thank you and yes, they sure are funny creatures! I gave each one one and left them in the enclosures yesterday. Last night I "think" my N. chromatus was eating one... couldn't really tell for sure, but hopeful that they will adopt this new food as well, instead of just crickets. They're reactions to the roaches are all so different!

I also found Ts love the mature males above the rest.
Also smaller sized slings like the little ones. But yes Ive seen females walking round the t as its not even there.
Th

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Thank you RippeR! I can not tell which in the carton are the MM's but tend to take the adventurous ones from the top and then let them loose near the spidey. I am really hoping for success in getting them to accept this as an alternate food. I like "variety" and as a human.. (oh well) have the tendency to assume spideys do too! lol! Course, they'll always have crickets, but it's nice to give them choices.

The other thing... if one is approaching possible pre-molt and is a tad apprehensive about attacking and devouring the Dubia... and the roach stays in the enclosure, burrowing etc... as the spidey goes into molt.. is that a possible danger to the spidey?

I share the MM dubia sentiment. MM are the ones with wings.

AFAIK dubias present no danger to the Ts, even if they are molting.

I leave my dubias in the enclosure. Once they are in there, they either die of old age or get eaten. I've woken up in the dead of night to my racket in my L. Parahybana's enclosure, he detected a dubia in the substrate and was digging it up. He dug a bit, and then waited for the dubia to move again, then he dug some more. He got it eventually.